A couple of weeks ago, I made a pledge that this year I would focus on the work of debut authors on the blog.
Well, it’s been a fun couple of weeks getting in touch with some of them and arranging interviews. And I have the first of them today!
Meet fellow Unbound author Alexandra Turney, as she tells us about her debut novel In Exile, which will be out next week.
Tell us a little about your book and how you came to write it.
In Exile is about Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and divine ecstasy. He’s re-born in 20th century Rome, a city where he has no believers, and suffers something of an existential crisis. A chance encounter with a teenage girl, Grace, in the Jewish Ghetto, transforms both their lives. This is the beginning of his new cult.
I can trace the origins of the novel back to the books I studied at school and university. It all began with The Bacchae by Euripides – the Greek tragedy about the conflict between Pentheus, king of Thebes, and Dionysus and his female followers. While at university I discovered an obscure 19th century genre of “gods in exile” writing – an essay and some short stories that imagine what would happen if pagan gods existed in modern times, living in obscurity. Dionysus is such a fascinating character, and the idea of a melancholy god reincarnated against his will in modern, Catholic Rome seemed to have potential. So I wrote the novel. I finished it in 2015, and the publication date is 24 January 2019.
What makes your book unique?
As far as I’m aware, In Exile is the only novel that features Dionysus as protagonist. I also think the book is fairly unique in having teenage girls as main characters when it’s not targeted at a teenage audience.
Most books with main characters under the age of 18 are aimed at readers under the age of 18. There are some notable exceptions – examples that come to mind include A High Wind in Jamaica and The Little Friend – but on the whole, we’re quite keen to pigeonhole books based on the age or gender of the protagonist. Why does a book with a female protagonist have to be a “book for women”? Why does a book with a 15 year old protagonist have to be “YA”?
I’m sure teenage readers will enjoy In Exile and relate to Grace, but I don’t see any reason why a 50 year old man shouldn’t enjoy it too. One of the best things about literature is that it allows us to see the world through other eyes. When I was 15, one of my favourite characters was Oskar Matzerath from Gunter Grass’s The Tin Drum. If a 15 year old British girl can get emotionally invested in the life of a dwarf in 1940s Poland, why shouldn’t an adult reader be able to relate to a teenage girl? Teenagers are people too!
Okay, rant over. The TL;DR answer – have you ever read a novel where the main characters are a Greek god and three teenage girls? Thought not…
Your book will soon be in readers’ hands. Which part of being published are you most excited about?
Quite simply the idea that people who don’t know me will read the book, and come up with their own responses and interpretations. I’ve only had a couple of reviews so far (from NetGalley readers), but it’s such a strange sensation, knowing that someone on the other side of the world has read your book. It’s finally out there!
What has been the most challenging part of your journey to publication?
The crowdfunding, without a doubt. It was a stressful six months. I knew that I would get there in the end, but the process, which has been described as “embracing your inner American”, was often emotionally draining. I felt like every conversation, every interaction, had to be about my book, and I didn’t want to be pushy. There was definitely a positive side to the crowdfunding too – it made me realise that I know so many generous, supportive people, and I learned a lot – but I’m glad it’s over!
Do you have a writing mentor, or someone who has influenced your work?
Every writer I’ve read has influenced me in some way, and especially my favourites (Emily Bronte, Angela Carter, Donna Tartt, Evelyn Waugh, Walter de la Mare, Patrick Hamilton). At the moment one of the people I find most inspiring in terms of career goals is actually a musician, Molly Nilsson. She writes her music, does everything herself, releases it on her own record label, and doesn’t seem to care about fame or commercial success. She just creates what she wants to create. That’s all you can do, really. There’s no point in trying to write what you think people want to read. I’ll just keep on writing without worrying too much about whether it’s commercial or not, and hopefully over time, I’ll find a readership.
If there was one book that you could have written, other than your own, what would it be and why?
Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, because I would love to inhabit that world. It’s such a richly imagined setting that as a reader, I feel like I’ve been there. For Peake it must have been ten times as vivid, especially while he was in the process of writing.
What advice would you give to other writers hoping to publish a novel?
Think about what you really want to achieve, and how much work you’re prepared to put in. Unless you’re one of the lucky 0.1% who gets a generous advance and a publisher who takes care of everything, you’ll have to do the bulk of the promotional work yourself, and be active on social media. It’s time-consuming and, depending on the kind of person you are, not necessarily enjoyable. If being published is your dream, then by all means, go for it, but remember that it’s a long journey. It’s not like the publisher says, “Yes, we’ll publish you!” and then you sit back and enjoy the money and acclaim. It’s a slog.
Is there a debut novel you’re particularly looking forward to reading in 2019?
Yours, obviously! Also Katie Hale’s My Name is Monster – post-apocalyptic Britain and an unconventional mother-daughter relationship sounds intriguing.
Find out more
In Exile on Goodreads
In Exile on Amazon
Author bio
Alexandra Turney grew up in London, studied English at the University of Oxford, and now lives in Rome. She works as an English teacher and freelance writer, and is working on a second novel.
Release date: In Exile – 24 January 2019
You can find the book on NetGalley now. Follow Alexandra on her blog and Twitter accounts to read more about her author journey.